Discussion+1


 * Laboratory Safety in the Secondary Science Classroom**

 Part 1  According to Flinn Scientific, the majority of accidents in the laboratory occur at the ninth grade level. What factors surround this finding? How might this scenario be avoided? The reason for the increase of accidents is due to the increase of types of lab equipment that is used as well as the amount of hands on labs there are. In 8th grade the labs are simple and do not include the use of fire for the most part or the use of concentrated chemicals. Once students hit the 9th grade level they are given a lot more responsibility and for the most part do not know how to handle it. In order to decrease the amount of accidents is increase the reinforcement of safety in labs. The more often that safety rules and the reason behind them are discussed the more the students will remember them.

Part 2  Science teachers indicate that most accidents in the laboratory occur because the students fail to read and comprehend laboratory procedures. What will you do as a science educator to prevent this from happening in your classroom? One of the ideas that teachers can use to decrease accidents is to have pre-labs that the students are required to do before they are allowed to even enter the lab. This will allow the teacher to see which students have read the lab and which ones have not.

 Part 3  To create your student safety contract, you will choose the rules that apply to the specific science courses you will be teaching, the experiments you choose to implement, and the materials and apparatus you have available at your school site. Once you have identified and discussed the safety rules for the semester, how will you manage your classroom and students to ensure that these rules are followed? I will have a zero tolerance rule for laboratory. I will reinforce that so they know that it is not just a threat. A laboratory is one place that behavior problems can have catastrophic effects. The students will be required to take a safety quiz and must score above a 75 percent before they will be able to enter the lab.

===**Post your response to the issues raised in Parts 1, 2, and 3 in the discussion forum of the course wiki by Monday August 30. Interact with your peers online as you formulate solutions to these problems in science education. Respond to two of your peers by Friday, September 3. **===

 Flinn Scientific, Inc. (2006) //Where and Why Science Accidents Occur// . Retrieved from http://www.flinnsci.com/Sections/Safety/generalSafety/accidents.asp.